Evelien VanderKloet is the senior operations manager at the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN).
Evelien on McNabs Island, Nova Scotia.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Brampton, Ontario, the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe. This territory is covered by the Upper Canada treaties.
What is a typical day like in this job?
One of the things I love about working for OTN is that every day is different—there is no ‘typical’ day! In any given day, I might do a mix of working with internal and external collaborators, project planning, seeking out new funding opportunities, advising on initiatives and processes, attending various committee meetings, and drafting reports.
Evelien assisting with tagging a blue shark during an OTN field mission.
What do you enjoy most about your role as senior operations manager at OTN?
I love how collaborative OTN is as an organization. We are always working across teams and roles to better our work and learn from each other. I truly appreciate the iterative process that goes into ensuring the finished outputs are the best they can be. I find that level of teamwork to be both energizing and extremely rewarding.
Evelien with Lachlan Riel (Mi’kmaw Conservation Group), digging out a receiver stuck in the mud in the Avon River, Nova Scotia.
How is your role with Apoqnmatulti’k different from other projects that you’ve been a part of?
Apoqnmatulti’k is slower paced than many of the other projects I’ve been a part of. So often in academia (and outside of academia), there is pressure to complete deliverables as quickly as possible in order to move on to the next funding cycle. With Apoqnmatulti’k, we’ve pushed back on conventional academic timelines and created space for relationship-building, dialogue, and shared decision-making. Ironically, by slowing down, we’ve been able to accomplish so much more as a group.
What does Apoqnmatulti’k mean to you?
Apoqnmatulti’k means embracing our differences, instead of shying away from them, and realizing the potential that comes from learning different perspectives and finding shared pathways forward.
Why do you think animal tracking is important?
Tracking can tell us so much about a species that we might otherwise not be able to understand. I think one of the challenges to aquatic conservation is that the environment is often harder to observe than on land. Tracking helps us develop a better picture of what is happening below the surface and really ‘see’ how a species interacts with the ecosystem.
What is something most people may not know about the study species in the Bras d’Or Lake or Bay of Fundy?
You can tell a lobster’s sex by its swimmerets, which are kind of like feathers on its underside. On a female, the swimmerets will be soft, while on a male, they will be bony.
What is something new you learned while working on this project?
Tomcod have ‘anti-freeze’ properties that help them survive in the dead of winter!
What are you most proud of with Apoqnmatulti’k?
I’m proud of how far we’ve come as a group. The journey of co-learning is not without challenges, but we continue to navigate conflict and find ways to move forward together.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Anything active! Weightlifting, hiking, paddling, camping or riding my bike!
Evelien with the CEOTR team at a wave glider test facility in Hawaii.